Chuck Sweeny: What if Rockford promised college for everyone?

Saturday

Jan 11, 2014 at 4:00 PM

One of the ways we need to transform Rockford is to become a more educated community.

Just 20 percent of us are college graduates in this area, and experts say we need to improve that to at least 25 percent. That's the minimum we need in order to be ready for economic growth as the 21st century moves forward.

It's not that Rockfordians are dullards. Rather, our history has dictated that the kinds of skills we needed to operate our myriad industries did not in the past require college degrees or advanced training certificates.

When I was a junior in high school, I knew more than a few kids who left school at 16 to become apprentices in tool shops. Those men are now retired and enjoying life in their snowbird condos in Naples, Fla., and "up to the lake" in the summertime. And I'm still here in Rockfish working down at the paragraph factory.

You did not need a high school diploma to get a well-paying job in Rockford in the 1960s.

Well, that doesn't happen anymore, but as usual, word has been slow to reach us. We are still an industry powerhouse - you'd be amazed at the things we build in northern Illinois - but we lack the education infrastructure to remain so. This is a critical problem to solve because the average industrial worker is in his mid-50s and will soon retire. We'll have plenty of openings for young people - if they have the education and training.

At the same time, we also know that the Rockford area is not the wealthy place it was three or four decades ago. So, many children could get the education or training they need if they had the money, which they're not likely to get.

Enter Rockford Promise, which you may have heard of because I've written about it several times. It's based on an initiative founded and funded by anonymous wealthy folks in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Kalamazoo Promise offers a free college education to any child who graduates from the public schools there. It's been very successful and has boosted public school enrollment there.

There's also the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Promise and one in Eldorado, Ark., funded by Murphy Oil. In Peoria, there's a version that offers a community college education.

So far, this Rockford Promise idea hasn't gained much traction. It lacks major funders. So, how much would it cost?

According to a study by the Upjohn Institute commissioned by the Rockford School District and Rockford Promise, "Rockford could pay college tuition for all graduates of its public schools for as little as $5.6 million," the school district says.

And it wouldn't just apply to traditional colleges and universities. Any training program or school that qualifies for Pell grants would also qualify for Rockford Promise scholarships.

The school district also says that the Promise program will lead to more people staying in Rockford, which is exactly what we need.

Rich people have funded pretty things in the Forest City - fancy gardens, posh churches and a conservatory come to mind. The Park District and Convention & Visitors Bureau want us to spend $50 million or more on some indoor and outdoor soccer, basketball and volleyball courts, and that's not seen as unusual. We used millions of tax dollars to build a bridge to nowhere behind the Discovery Center, and that wasn't seen as unusual either.

Would it therefore be unusual to spend $5.6 million a year to send our kids to college, improve our college graduation percentage, and provide the educated and trained workforce we need to grow our economy?

It's not charity, you know. I believe it's called enlightened self-interest.

Chuck Sweeny: 815-987-1366; csweeny@rrstar.com; @chucksweeny

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